Point-of-purchase motion display



P 6, 1966 P. FLUM POINTOFPURCHASE MOTION DISPLAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 8, 1964 INVENTOR PAUL. L. FLUM ,XZQ, ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,270,450 POINT-OF-PURCHASE MOTION DISPLAY Paul L. Flum, 7449 Kingsbury Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. Filed Sept. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 394,896 Claims. (Cl. 40-10641) The present invention relates generally to point-o f-purchase motion displays, and more specifically, to mechanism for imparting a horizontal sweeping motion to a movable roller member utilized in such displays to roll and unroll a message-displaying sheet.

In the field dealing with the design and construction of point-of-purch-ase motion displays, it is a known practice to employ pendulum-type movements to impart arcuate motion to movable members utilized in such displays. This pendulum-type movement is not utilizable where the problem is one of imparting a precise, horizontal sweeping motion to movable members of displays. Particularly where a roller is to be used to roll and unroll a sheet bearing a message or providing some motion display effect, a precise horizontal sweeping motion is required. Such motion theoretically requires little energy to produce it, as no lifting is done, and the sheet material will not impose undue loads by bending on the roller.

The present invention has among its objectives the provisions of:

Motion display mechanism which imparts horizontal motion to movable members with minimum energy dissipation;

Motion display mechanism for imparting a precise horizontal reciprocation of a movable member to be utilized in such a display; and

Motion display mechanism which 'reciprocates a message sheet roller horizontally, and which during such reciprocation maintains the roller in vertical orientation.

In the present invention these purposes (as well as others apparent herein) are achieved generally by providing a display backboard having a vertical guide positioned along the vertical centerline of the backboard. An arm is pivotally mounted to the backboard spacedly below the guide and has an arc-describing portion between its pivot and the guide for arcuate movement to both sides of the centerline. Powered means are provided to reversingly move the arc-describing portion of the arm in a predetermined arc. An elongated member is pivotally coupled to the arc-describing portion of the arm and is moved by it in response to actuation of the powered means. This elongated member includes guide-engaging means confined within the backboard guide and a suspension mount carried at its lower end spacedly below the pivot mounting of the arm. A roller carrying a message display sheet is suspended from the suspension mount; and when reciprocated in a precise horizontal path across the backboard, rolls and unrolls the message display sheet.

Utilization of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosures made in the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation-a1 sketch of the present invention broken away in part and showing themessage display sheet starting to be unrolled;

FIG. 2 is a sketch similar to FIG. 1 showing the display mechanism moved to a position wherein the message display sheet is completely unrolled, the dashed lines depicting display material which covers part of the mechanism of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation of the motion display apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along line 33.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a stand, generally designated a, which consists of an upright col- 3,270,450 Patented Sept. 6, 1966 umn b mounted upon a plurality of foot support members c. Spaced forwardly of the column b and secured to it by means of conventional bolts and spacers d is a display backboard 10. The display backboard 10 is preferably a light, sturdy material suitable for receiving and supporting the display mechanism at locations within its upper portion 12, while providing an attractive display area at its lower portion 14.

Fixed mechanisms are provided in the display backboard 10 for supporting and defining the motion of the movable mechanisms to be described hereinafter. These fixed mechanisms include a principal mounting pivot 16, a vertical guide 18, and a driveshaft mount 20. The principal mounting pivot 16 consists of a simple opening 22 at about the mid-point of the backboard 10 (see FIG. 3) in which is received a bushing 24. Spacedly above and in vertical alignment with the principle mounting pivot 16, the display backboard 10 is provided with a verticallyextending slot. This slot serves as a vertical guide 18 for the linkage mechanism herein described, and together with the principal mounting pivot 16 establishes a vertical centerline ee. To the right side of this centerline ee there is provided an opening 26 which receives the driveshaft 28 of a small electric motor 30 mounted on the aft side of the backboard 10.

The moving mechanism consists of a pivoted arm 32, a principal elongated member 34, and powered means to couple the arm 32 and elongated member 34 to the driveshaft 28; the roller being driven in response to such mechanism.

The arm 32 is preferably a metal rod pivotally mounted to the backboard 10 by means of the bushing 24 at the principal mounting point 16. This pivoted arm 32 has an upper arc-describing portion 36 which extends above the principal mounting pivot 16 and terminates below the vertical guide 18. This arc-describing portion 36 moves under the influence of the powered means (to be described hereinafter) in an arc to both sides of the centerline ee, as indicated by the dashed arcuate line ff. Below the principal mounting pivot 16 the arm 32 is bent rearwardly and down, to operate through the movement-permitting slot 38 in the backboard 10. It terminates in a lower portion 40 having a mass balance 42 on its end. The mass balance 42 is chosen to balance the entire linkage system, thus to minimize the power required.

The powered means which drives the pivoted. arm 32 includes the motor 30, its driveshaft 28, and a link member 44 and a rotating arm 46. The rotating arm 46 is attached directly to the driveshaft 28 and has a mass balance 48 secured to one of its ends. Its other end is pivotally hinged to the link member 44, whose remote end in turn is pivotally hinged to the arc-describing portion 36 of the arm 32. Energization of the motor 30 causes the arm 46 to rotate. This rotation causes the link member 44 to swing the arc-describing portion 36 of the arm 32 reversingly through the arcuate path depicted by the dashed lines f-f.

The principal elongated member 34 is a metal rod pivotally hinged between its upper and lower ends to the aredescribing portion 36 of the arm 32. Toward its upper end, the elongated member 32 is provided with an aft extending, guide-engaging bushing 50 which is slidin'gly confined within the vertical guide 18. This guide-engaging bushing 50 is thus free to move vertically along the vertical guide 18, but it is restrained from any lateral movement to either side of the centerline e-e. Spacedly below the principal mounting pivot 16, the elongated member 34 is provided with a suspension mount generally designated 52. In the embodiment illustrated, an aft-anddownward bent finger member 53 is secured to the elongated member 34. The finger member 53 has an enlarged lower end 54, which may be ball-like as illustrated, or

otherwise smoothly shouldered to permit angular tilting thereon of a complementary fitting, such as the grommet 56 mounted axially at the upper end of the roller to be described. The suspension mount 52 may in this embodiment be thought of as consisting of the enlarged end 54 and the grommet 56.

The suspension mount 52 carries a hollow roller 58 which has its center of gravity well below the level of the mount 52. The roller 58 is suspended vertically from the suspension mount 52 and receives a sheet of display material 60 wrapped around its mid-portion. The roller 58 has its one end 62 attached to the backboard at the right side of the vertical centerline e-e (FIG. 1) and outward of the travel of the suspended roller 58.

Upper and lower transparent guide tapes 64 and 66 are employed, spaced above and below the sheet material 60. They are wrapped around the roller 58 in the direction opposite to that of the display sheet 60. The ends 68, 70 of the guide tapes 64, 66 are secured to the backboard 10 outward of the travel of the roller 58 and on the left side of the centerline ee as viewed in FIG. 1.

Above the vertical guide 18 the elongated member 34 has an attention-attracting flag 72 secured to it. As will be understood from the description of the operation of the elongated member 34, the attention-attracting flag 72 moves along an inverted U-shaped path, as indicated by the dashed lines gg.

When the pivoted arm 32 has its arc-describing portion 36 moved through the arcuate line depicted at ff, (as described hereinabove) the arc-describing portion 36 lowers from its highest point P as it passes to either side of the centerline ee. The amount of lowering from point P is a function of the cosine of the angle through which the arm 32 swings as it moves to either side of centerline ee. Because the elongated member 34 is pivotally hinged to the arm 32 and permitted only vertical movement at the guide-engaging bushing 50, the elongated member 34 must swing angularly about its coupling point to the arc-describing portion 36. This pivoted swinging has the effect of shortening the vertical projection of its length; such shortening effect increases with in creased angularity from the vertical. The resulting overall effect is that the arcuate movement of the arc-describing portion 36 is transcribed into a precisely horizontal movement of the suspension mount 52.

The roller 58 carried by the mount 52 rolls and unrolls the display sheet 60 over the backboard 10 free of binding and with minimum power dissipation. The enlarged ball end 54 of the suspension mount 52 allows the roller 58 to maintain its vertical alignment so as not to bind the sheet 60 as it is being rolled and unrolled. The roller 58 is maintained in its vertical alignment, without tendency to swing, by the guide tapes 64, 66. These guide tapes 64, 66 provide sufficient tension at the roller ends to assure its vertical orientation as it swivels about the suspension mount 52 in the course of its horizontal movement across the backboard 10.

As a contrast to this straight horizontal movement, the flag 72 on the upper end of the elongated member 34 is, by the linkage described, caused to move in its inverted U-shaped path. This adds effectiveness to the motion display.

In actual use, the mechanism elements will be concealed by attractive display material, as indicated by the dashed lines of FIG. 2. The upper portion 12 of the backboard 10 is largely covered by an additional display element 74; and the lower portion of the elongated member 34 and roller 58 are covered by a shield-like display element 76 which may simulate a mop head or the like, being reciprocated over a surface to be cleaned. The shield element 76 is of such breath as to conceal the roller 58 over the full range of relative angular movement of the elongated member 34.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically described.

I claim:

1. For imparting horizontal reciprocative motion to a movable member of the type used in point-of-purchase displays, the apparatus comprising a display backboard having mechanism including a vertical guide defining a vertical centerline,

an arm pivotally mounted to said backboard spacedly below said guide and at the vertical centerline, said arm having an arc-describing portion extending above said pivot and below said guide for arcuate movement to both sides of the centerline,

powered means coupled to arm to move said arc-describing portion rever'singly in a predetermined arc to both sides of the backboard centerline,

an elongated member pivotally coupled at a point be-' tween its ends to said arc-describing portion of said arm and including guide-engaging means confined within the vertical guide for vertical movement therealong, and a suspension mount carried by said elongated member spacedly below the pivot mounting of said arm to said backboard, whereby such movable member of the type used in pivot of purchase displays may be suspended from said mount and by said mechanism be reciprocated horizontally across said backboard. 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, the pivotally mounted arm having a portion extending below said pivot, together with a mass balance on said arm portion whereby to minimize the power requirement of said powered means. 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, in combination with a roller mounted upon and suspended vertically from said suspension mount for horizontal reciprocation across said backboard, said roller having its center of gravity below the level at which it is so mounted, and a sheet of display material wrapped around said roller, and having one end attached to said backboard at one side of the vertical centerline and outward of the travel of said suspended roller. 4. The combination defined in claim 3, further compl'lSlIlg a first guide tape positioned above said sheet and having one of its ends attached to said backboard, outward of the travel of the roller, the point of attachment being at the opposite side of the centerline, and a second guide tape similarly positioned and attached below said sheet, each of said tapes being wrapped around said roller in the direction opposite to that of said sheet, whereby to roll upon said roller as the sheet unrolls therefrom and thereby in combination with the sheet, maintain the suspended roller in vertical alignment close to the backboard. 5. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, furthercomprising attention-attracting means attached to said elongated member above said vertical guide for movement along an inverted U-shaped path.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,168,750 1/1916 Schuhmann 40-51 X 2,500,106 3/1950 Wehr 40106.41 2,582,856 1/1952 Zelik 40106.41 X 3,008,255 11/1961 Fellows 40106.41

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. W. GRIEB, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR IMPARTING HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATIVE MOTION TO A MOVABLE MEMBER OF THE TYPE USED IN POINT-OF-PURCHASE DISPLAYS, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING A DISPLAY BACKBOARD HAVING MECHANISM INCLUDING A VERTICAL GUIDE DEFINING A VERTICAL CENTERLINE, AN ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID BACKBOARD SPACEDLY BELOW SAID GUIDE AND AT THE VERTICAL CENTERLINE, SAID ARM HAVING AN ARC-DESCRIBING PORTION EXTENDING ABOVE SAID PIVOT AND BELOW SAID GUIDE FOR ARCUATE MOVEMENT TO BOTH SIDES OF THE CENTERLINE, POWERED MEANS COUPLED TO ARM TO MOVE SAID ARC-DESCRIBING PORTION REVERSINGLY IN A PREDETERMINED ARC TO BOTH SIDES OF THE BACKBOARD CENTERLINE, AN ELONGATED MEMBER PIVOTALLY COUPLED AT A POINT BETWEEN ITS ENDS TO SAID ARC-DESCRIBING PORTION OF SAID ARM AND INCLUDING GUIDE-ENGAGING MEANS CONFINED WITHIN THE VERTICAL GUIDE FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREALONG, AND A SUSPENSION MOUNT CARRIED BY SAID ELONGATED MEMBER SPACEDLY BELOW THE PIVOT MOUNTING OF SAID ARM TO SAID BACKBOARD, WHEREBY SUCH MOVABLE MEMBER OF THE TYPE USED IN PIVOT OF PURCHASE DISPLAYS MAY BE SUSPENDED FROM 